Personal shopping carts have become ubiquitous in Western societies, particularly in urban centers where people live in condominiums and apartment buildings and walk to the local grocery store rather than drive. Carts are of great use in a variety of situations, particularly when transporting heavy objects or multiple small goods. The cart serves the needs of pedestrian shoppers, who walk to and from the grocery store, or who take public transportation.
In a typical embodiment, a cart has wheels and a basket or shelf for holding objects for transportation. The cart allows the user to keep their hands free when not interacting with the cart. Additionally, some carts are configured to carry heavy loads that the user may not be able to lift for a long time. In some situations, a shopper uses a personal cart to carry objects to and from a car, and then store the cart in the car. In other situations, a shopper uses a personal cart to carry objects to and from their house. However, carts are usually large and bulky; thus difficult to store and carry. It is thus desirable that the cart fit inside the trunk of a car or a small storage closet.
Additional difficulties with existing carts may be appreciated in view of the detailed description of example embodiments below.
Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures to denote similar components.